Umbrellas have been known and used for many years. Functionally, umbrellas most often are used to provide protection from precipitation, particularly rain. Umbrellas may also be used for protection from direct sunlight as in, for example, a parasol.
In addition to purely utilitarian functions, umbrellas have been designed for other uses. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,150,731 to Barcus and 4,271,604 to Rowsey describe umbrellas which may be used to locate and identify the various constellations.
Umbrellas may also contain other features that add further utility. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,468 to Cole describes a safety umbrella which contains a flashlight in the handle and a reflective strip on the canopy to increase visibility in the dark.
Umbrellas may additionally be used to express creativity. Creativity may be expressed in the various components of an umbrella. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 321,979 to DeSantis et al., for example, describes an umbrella wherein the elongated rod is illuminated. Creativity may also be expressed in the design present on the canopy, or by use of unique canopy materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,306 to Edelking describes an umbrella with a transparent canopy. Edelking also describes an umbrella having a transparent canopy with reflective dots. The use of unique materials in the design of umbrellas allows for novel means of expressing creativity.